Belt conveyer.



F. J. DBARBORNIl BELT CONVEYEB.

APPLIOATION FILED 11111118, 1910. 1121111111111 SEPT. 9, 1912.

Patented oct. 15, 1912.

nnoennmw FRANKLIN J. DEARBOBN, 0F CARI-LAND, CALIFORNIA.

BELT CONVEYER.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Det. 15,1912.

Application led .Tune 8, 1910, Serial No. 565,850. Renewed .September 9, 1912. Serial No. 719,458.

Y o (1H whom. t may concern Be it known that I, FRANKLIN J. DEAR- noRN, aV citizen of the United States, residing at Oakland, county of Alameda, State ot' California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Belt Conveyers, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to belt conveyers, mounted either permanently or portably, suitable for conveying or transporting any materials, wet or dry, that lend themselves readily to such transportation.

My improvements are in belts which are easily adjustable to length and whlch automatically give out and take up the varying lengths of belt as same is lengthened or shortened and is automatically provided with proper support for the belt during the operation. To accomplish this result l employ mechanism as shown in the accompanyin r drawings, in which:-

Figure 1, is a plan View of the conveyer belt; Fig. 2, is a side elevation of Fig. 1 partly broken away to show the mounting of the left hand roller 6. Fig. 3, is an enlarged cross-section of Fig. 2 on the line 3*3 of said Fig. 2, looking toward the right. Fig. 4, is an enlarged elevation of a portion of Fig. 2, showing movable supporting idlers.

1 is a supporting frame or ladder by which the conveyer is suitably mounted permanently or portably.

2 is a pulley to which power is applied through suitable mechanism, not shown, for driving the belt 3.

3 is a belt or band of suit-able structure mounted in themanner shown for carrying the material to be transported; 4 is a pulley over which the belt 3 operates.

5 is an extension member, suitably mount ed upon the frame or ladder 1, and upon which the pulley 4 is suitably mounted.

6 is an idler mounted upon the extension 5, on the opposite end from pulley 4, over which the belt 3 operates, and which acts as a take up in the belt 3.

7 (Figs. .2 and 3) indicates angle irons attached to the extension member 5 forming a groove between them, in which the guide 8, attached to the supporting frame or ladder 1, operates during the operation of the extension.

9 is an idler pulley suitably mounted upon the ladder l, over which the belt 3 operates.

' 19, 20, and 21, (Fig. 2 )are movable idler pulleys suitably mounted in guides, upon.

the ladder l, for supporting the belt 3.

22 is an idler pulley for .supporting the belt 3, and attached to the ladder l.

23 (Figs. 2 and 4) is a system of slotted members with one end attached to the idler 18 and suitably mounted upon the movable idler pulleys so as to automatically adjust said pulleys when the belt 3 is lengthened or shortened by the operation of the extension 5. As the pulley 18 is mounted fixedly upon the extension 5 and the pulley 22 is fiXe'dly mounted on the ladder 1, and as the pulleys between these two are slidably mounted, as shown in Fig. 4, by their brackets or the foot of said brackets embracing a rib on the top of the ladder l, movement of the pulley 18 with the extension 5 will, through the slotted links, draw the intermediate pulleys 19, 20 and 21 successively along the ladder 1, and these pulleys will therefore take up diiferent positions along the belt to support the same.

The operation is as ollows:-The belt 3 is caused to travel in either direction by suitable power applied to the pulleys. The

material to be transported is deposited by suitable means upon said' belt `at any point between the pulleys 2 and 4, and by virtue of the travel of the belt is delivered over the pulleys 2 or 4 as desired, to the point of deposit. If, during said operation it is desired to lengthen or shorten the conveyer belt, suitable power is applied to the shaft 14. which carries and operates the pinion 12, which in turn engages the rack 10, thereby causing the extension 5. which carries the pulley 4 and the idler 6, to travel in the guides 7 and 8.

The dotted lines in Fig. 2, show the conveyer belt lengthened. It is necessary and essential that while the belt is loaded it be supported properly at all times. With this l end in view the idlers 15, 16, 17, and 18, are properly s aced and attached to the extension 5. 'l' hen the conveyer belt is at its shortest position, the supporting idlers 19, 20, 21,'and 22, are crowded close together and the slotted members E23 are in position to allow this condition. When the conveyer belt is lengthened, by means of the extension 5, the slotted members 23, one of which is attached tothe idler 18, allows said idler to move away from the first adjacent movable idler, as 19 (Fig. 2), the length of the slot. lVhen said movable idler has moved the length of its slot, the second movable idler, as 20, is engaged and moves the length of its slot. This operation is repeated in accordance with the distance to which it is desired to lengthen the conveyer belt. Upon shortening the conveyer belt the above operation is repeated in reverse. By virtue of the above operations the conveyer belt may be lengthened or shortened under load, and the materials delivered from one point to another within the range of said belt. When suitably mounted, the convyer belt may `be made to operate upon any desired incline which the force of gravity will permit.

Having described my invention, what I tension member guided. between the sides of the ladder and having pulleys thereon at its opposite ends, racks on the sides of the extensions, pinions meshing therewith, a belt passing around the pulleys on the ladder and its extension, fixed idlers one on the ladder and one on the extension, intermediate idlers slidably mounted on the ladder and extensible connections between the fixed idler on the extension and the intermediate idlers, substantially as described.

2. In combination with an extensible conveyer belt, a series of supporting rollers and a series of slotted links connecting the said rollers to extend the said rollers from a closed position to a spread position, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signatuie in presence of two witnesses.

FRANKLIN J. DEARB'ORN.

Witnesses ZOE HARRISON, G. M. PAGE. 

